Repechage
by Liraeyn
Summary: Formerly A Daughter. Ziva is surprised one night by a visitor on her doorstep. DNA testing, accusations, and a Caf-Pow!-addicted three-year-old ensue. What would we do, if we got a second chance?
1. A Visitor

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. If I did, well, here's a look at something I might have done.

Ziva sat at her table, working on her citizenship applications. It was late at night, but she really wanted to finish them so she could finally start to forget her life with Mossad. She doubted she ever would, but at least she might stop remembering it.

The doorbell rang. _Now who on earth would do that at_ -she took a quick look at a nearby clock- _3 in the morning? _

Remembering some of Tony's stories, she proceeded cautiously, gun in hand. She opened the door a crack, revealing a young girl, about three or four years old, sitting on the doorstep. No one else was in sight. Ziva opened the door farther, and the girl started, a terrified look in her eyes.

"Who are you?" Ziva asked. The girl made no response, but held out a piece of folded paper. Putting her gun away, Ziva accepted the note from the girl. She didn't look at it yet, but asked the girl to come in. She did so warily, staring at Ziva all the time, then abruptly sat down on the couch, wrapping a blanket around herself.

Ziva unfolded the note she held. She gasped, staring at the little girl.

"Tali?"

Author's note: This is my first NCIS fic. Also, I have never written a chapter story before, so bear with me on any technical difficulties.


	2. In Abby's Lab

I do not own NCIS. As ever.

Ziva led Talia through the hallways down to Abby's lab, holding her by the hand. The little girl seemed to have become slightly less suspicious since her arrival at Ziva's house the night before, though she still hadn't said anything.

"Hey, Ziva!" Tony called, glancing over from his desk. Then he noticed Talia. "May I ask?"

"You may certainly ask, but I'm not going to answer," Ziva replied, not in a mood to explain until she'd talked to Abby. Tony and McGee stared at her, confused, but she and Tali continued on.

They made it down to the lab without further incident. Abby opened the door, happily accepting the Caf-Pow! Ziva brought her.

"Thanks, Ziva! And who's this?" Abby was her usual happy self.

"Her name's Talia. Or Tali. And I want you to run a DNA analysis on her."

Unfazed as ever, Abby took a cheek swab from Tali and ran it through one of her machines whose function had always escaped Ziva.

"While we're waiting for the results, you can tell me how you found her."

"She was on my doorstep last night. She hasn't said anything since, but there was a note telling me what her name was, and that I should take care of her."

"Did it say why?"

"Yes, but I'd just like to wait for the DNA results to confirm it."

Abby raised her eyebrows. Ziva's expression was unchanged. They stood there, staring at each other, for a long time, until Talia managed to find Bart, Abby's stuffed hippo. She squeezed him, then dropped him in alarm. Suddenly, all three burst out laughing.

At that precise moment, the machine dinged. Abby stared at it for a moment, then at Ziva, who looked at the screen, then at Abby. Then both of them looked at Tali, who stared back, unblinking.

"Ziva, this means..."

"I know, Abby. I just wanted to be sure."

Author's note: Anybody want to guess what I have in mind? :]


	3. Gibbs

The standard disclaimers apply. 

Gibbs was wandering through the office, sipping his coffee, when he noticed Tony and McGee staring at each other in confusion instead of working.

"What's going on?"

"Um, Boss..."

"I think Ziva has a kid."

"What?" Gibbs stared at them incredulously.

"She came in a few minutes ago with a girl about three or four years old, and wouldn't say where she was from."

"Where'd she go?"

"Sort of Abby's-lab-ish-direction."

"You two get back to work." Gibbs headed for the elevator.

Author's note: You get updates when people review, add this as a favorite story, or add a story alert. You get to find out who Tali is when I get three reviews with different theories on her identity. 


	4. Speculation

Disclaimer:  .SCIN nwo ton od I

Back in the office, Tony and McGee stared after Gibbs, then looked back at each other. They were supposed to be going over cold cases to check for new leads, but somehow neither of them could focus on their work.

"Ziva has a kid?" McGee asked, looking sideways at Tony.

"Sure seems like it."

McGee kept looking at Tony.

"Look, she's not my kid, if that's what you're wondering."

"So you never...?"

"Look, McProbie, it's none of your business. And anyway, the kid was probably born before Ziva ever came here."

"But then whose is she?"

"Your guess is almost as good as mine."

* * *

Gibbs stood in the elevator, waiting for it to reach the next floor. _Why didn't Ziva ever tell me about the kid? Unless she thought she was dead or something... _That he could understand. _But maybe it's not her kid. Maybe we're just making a big deal out of nothing. _Somehow, though, he couldn't make himself believe it.

* * *

Abby looked back to Ziva. "I won't tell. You can if you want -maybe you should- but I won't."

"Thanks, Abby."

The elevator dinged. All three jumped, but none more so than Tali. She had the same look of utter terror on her face that she had worn when she first saw Ziva. _What on earth happened to her?_ Ziva wondered. Whatever the cause, she wouldn't let anyone hurt Talia. _She's just a kid. _

More important at the moment was breaking the news to the team. She walked out the door, and almost literally ran into Gibbs.

"Gibbs. We need to talk." She stared at him, trying to use nonwordal communication. _Nonwordal? That can't be right. I'll have to check. _

Gibbs nodded, heading toward the elevator.

"I'll let you have that one."

Author's note: How do you keep a dozen or so wonderful reviewers in suspense? :)


	5. Crafts, and what the elevator hears

*disclaims*

* * *

Author's note: I _was_ going to keep you guys guessing for another chapter, but I'll be nice. :)

* * *

Abby opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out some paper, crayons, and colored pencils. She wanted to keep Talia occupied while Ziva was away. Tali was still staring around the room like it might attack her at any moment.

Abby had to step over Bert on her way back to Tali, so she set the stuff down and put him back in place. Tali picked up some of the paper and started folding it.

"Okay, you play with that, and I'll draw a picture of you." No response.

Abby clipped a piece of paper to a clipboard and started drawing. Tali kept folding.

A while later, they were done. Tali held up her creation, an origami-type doll wrapped in a blanket.

"That's cute." Abby showed Tali her picture, which was not entirely accurate, but captured the distinctive traits of the girl- her dark hair, brown eyes, even the way she almost drowned in the borrowed T-shirt and sweatshirt Ziva had loaned her.

Tali grabbed a few crayons and started drawing, holding the doll in her lap. Abby started folding some of the paper into a crane.

Only a few minutes later, Tali gave Abby a picture of a large building. It looked dark and foreboding, with a sign out front. Abby doubted that Tali could read, but she'd gotten the shapes of letters nearly legible. Abby stared at it. _Maybe now I can figure out where she's from._ She walked over to one of her computers. Tali just held her doll.

* * *

Gibbs and Ziva walked into the elevator, not looking at each other. Halfway between floors, Gibbs flipped the emergency switch, stopping the elevator, then turned to face Ziva. For a moment, they just looked at each other.

Ziva eventually broke the silence. "I guess Tony and McGee told you about her."

"Yep."

More silence.

"It's not what it looks like."

"Well, what does it look like?"

"You tell me."

Gibbs sighed. "It looks like you suddenly show up to work with a kid you had a few years ago and never told anyone about."

"Then it's definitely not what it looks like. She's not my daughter."

"Then whose kid is she?"

"Ari's."

Gibbs just stared at her, his mouth open.

"She had a note with her birth certificate attached. And I had Abby run her DNA."

No response.

"Will you _say something_?"

"I have no idea what to say."

Ziva sighed. "Well, you know, when you don't say anything, it seems like you've decided that she's going to turn out like her father, you know?"

"Ziva..."

"She's just a kid!"

"I would never judge someone on what their family did. You know that, don't you?"

She seemed to soften slightly, nodding, then hugged Gibbs. He hugged her back.

For a few minutes, they just stood there, not just boss and agent, or even friends, but family, a second chance for each other. Then they let go, and Gibbs flipped the switch.

"Come on; let's go see how your niece is doing."

* * *

Author's note: I'm going to guess a few reactions: hey-I-was-right, I-kind-of-thought-so, wow-I-did-not-see-that-coming, or just yay-she-finally-updated. Tell me how I did. Please? Pretty please with a Caf-Pow! on top?


	6. Pieces of the puzzle

I don't own NCIS. Not even a DVD of it. I don't even own the laptop I'm using to write about it.

______________

Author's note: Talia does not speak English. Therefore, content from her point of view is my best attempt at transcribing her thoughts.

* * *

_What is going on?_ Tali wondered. One minute she'd been hiding from the scary people who kept hurting her, the next someone had grabbed her, telling her to be quiet.

She had obeyed, knowing from experience that it would be better to do so. She had fallen asleep, waking up to find the same someone (she had never gotten a good look at them) handing her a couple of clipped-together pieces of paper. Then the nice woman with the long hair had let her into that warm building and given her some food and warm clothes… the rest was kind of a blur until the woman –Ziva, she thought- had taken her to yet another building, then left her with the strange woman –that one was Abby, she knew- who kept talking all of the time in words Tali couldn't understand… she picked up her doll and cuddled it. One of the older girls had taught her how to make it. She liked it. It reminded her of her little sister.

* * *

Ziva reached over and flipped the power switch. "One more thing."

"Okay."

"When you're talking to someone, but you're telling them something without saying anything…?"

"Nonverbal communication?"

"Ah, nonverbal. That's the word I was looking for."

She flipped the switch again. "That's it. I'm done."

* * *

The elevator doors opened on the office, startling Tony and McGee.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Team conference. Abby's lab."

"On it, Boss. Oh, by the way…"

McGee handed Gibbs a coffee.

Two minutes later, the elevator finally got a break.

* * *

Back in Abby's lab, the team stared at Ziva. They were startled, to say the least.

McGee tried to break the mood.

"So, what happens now?"

Abby took the liberty of replying.

"Well, I tried to get an I.D. on the building in the picture, but then I got an alert that someone was trying to hack me –kind of reminded me of that time we ran those prints from the guy who tried to outrun a bomb and lost- and then I ran out of Caf-Pow! and I had to turn the computer off to stop the hacker–thanks, Gibbs" -she paused for breath and took a sip- "but I managed to run the other name from Tali's birth certificate through a few databases –which took a while- and I got a picture of her mother."

She handed Ziva a computer printout. Ziva stared at it for a moment.

"For some reason, I'm not surprised."

* * *

Author's note: I'll give you a hint: swimming.


	7. One word

Disclaimer: I'm not even going to bother with one.

* * *

Author's note: I'll admit I haven't seen Kill Ari in a while, so any inaccuracies are inadvertent.

* * *

Ziva stared at the photograph, bad memories rushing back.

_Swimming at a hotel pool. A woman had walked in, matching the description she had been given. _

"_Mind if I join you?" _

"_One more lap and you'll have it all to yourself." _

_Innocuous-sounding words, used by each to identify the other. They hadn't known each other's names, knowing that secrecy was best. _

"_How's the water?" __Is anybody following you__? _

"_Lovely." __Yes, but we go ahead anyway__. _

Her face was clearly emblazoned in Ziva's mind. Talia even looked like her.

_Trying to help Ari because she loved him, was pregnant with his daughter… _

She shook off the memories before they could overwhelm her.

* * *

Tony looked over Ziva's shoulder at the photo. He remembered her, too. _She must have really cared about him. Ziva too, obviously. Even someone like him is loved… _

He shook off the memories, too. He didn't want to remember.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the lab, Abby was talking again. Or still.

"Apparently, Tali's mother went to Europe after… the whole thing, you know- and ended up in the Ukraine, where" –she checked a date- "three years, ten months ago, she died giving birth to Tali, who was promptly placed in an orphanage there, which is apparently where she's been living all this time."

"And what kind of parenting did she get in there?" Gibbs asked rhetorically.

"No wonder she's so scared." McGee looked over at her. "So what's going to happen to her? You going to take care of her, Ziva?"

Ziva laughed sarcastically. "No; I'm going to let my father turn her into a killer."

Tony stared at her. "You used a contraction. And sarcasm."

"Yep."

"Welcome to American life."

Abby broke in. "I don't want to kill the mood, but I traced the hacker, like we did before, you know, when the FBI hacked me…"

"The FBI hacked you?"

"Even worse. Mossad."

Ziva winced. "Crap."

"That's putting it mildly. As far as I can tell, they put an alert on Ari's DNA…"

"Which means they had a suspicion he had a kid, and now probably know about her." Gibbs sighed.

"I'm afraid so."

Gibbs' phone rang. "Gibbs."

They stood around awkwardly, glancing between each other, the screen, and Tali.

He closed the phone. "Dead Petty Officer."

"Let's get going."

They started walking toward the door.

"Zwiva…"

Ziva turned around and stared at Tali. The little girl was staring at her forlornly, like she was being abandoned. _She probably thinks she is. _

Glancing at Gibbs for his assent, she walked back to Tali and knelt down next to her. "I'll be back. Don't worry." It was impossible to ascertain whether she understood or not, but she looked a little happier. She reached up and put her arms around Ziva's neck, kissing her on the cheek. "Oh, thanks."

"That was sweet." Abby told Tali as Ziva and the team walked out the door. "Can I get a kiss, too?" Tali walked away from Abby, returning to her doll.

"I guess not."

* * *

Author's note: I know I leave you guys with cliffhangers (commercial break?), but I really want to hear what you think will happen next. (I like to see what different people think of the same story.) Speaking of which, did anyone notice something strange in Tali's POV last chapter?


	8. CafPow!, crime scene, terror

Disclaimer: Hypothetically, I own my OC. But nothing else.

* * *

Author's note: The case won't be very important. But I wanted to include one.

* * *

Abby surveyed her troops, ensuring that all were fully equipped for the upcoming battle. "Major Mass Spec, are you ready?"

"Abbwy?"

Startled, she spun around to find Tali miming eating and drinking something.

"Ah; you're hungry." Abby opened a drawer. "Have some cookies." She offered one.

Tali stared at the foreign object like it was poisonous. "Don't worry; they're safe." Abby ate one, to prove her point. _Yum_. Tali cautiously nibbled hers, then proceeded to gulp it down. Abby handed her the package, then went outside. Caf-Pow! was always better as a gift. _From me to her. _

Back in her lab, she watched the little girl happily consuming what would probably make her hyper for several hours. _Well, I think she has a right to be._ _ She's had a hard enough life already. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Tali. It doesn't matter what her father did. _

* * *

Over at the crime scene, Ducky was using a liver probe to estimate the time of death.

"Approximately three to four hours ago. Cause, as a guess- blunt force trauma to the head. I'll know more when I get him back to autopsy."

He started to put the body in a bag.

* * *

Gibbs was taking a statement from the woman who had found the body.

"I was just walking along, and then I saw this body- I kind of panicked and called 911."

"Did you hear anything unusual a couple of hours before?"

"Not me, but I heard a rumor that some people were shouting at each other."

"That's all. If you remember anything else, give me a call, okay?"

"Sure."

------------------

Ziva, Tony, and McGee were busy collecting evidence. Tony was, as usual, making some random movie allusion, but Ziva and McGee were still lost in their thoughts about Tali.

"I found a bloody rock!" Tony snapped a few pictures and bagged it.

"Murder weapon?" McGee queried.

"Seems likely," Ziva replied.

Tony automatically started forming his conjecture. "So, two people got in a fight, one of them killed the other with a rock and then ran for it?"

"Maybe."

"Someone must have been angry."

* * *

4,500 miles away, a very young girl was hiding, terrified, under a table. Not yet two years old, she nevertheless knew what she had to do to survive. But she held no hope for escape.

* * *

Author's note: I'm really sorry about how long it's been since I've updated. I've been really busy- skiing, getting my braces off, and, of course, my dog just died. :[ I'll try to update more.


	9. Discovery

Disclaimer

Noun

Anglo-French _disclaimer_ to disclaim

a denial or disavowal of legal claim (as in pleading where a defendant denies any interest in or claim to the subject of the action)

(Source: Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.)

* * *

Author's note: Not that I'm not interested in NCIS. Further proof of geekdom.

* * *

Abby went back to prepping her machines, while Tali continued eating. Some minutes later, she looked up to find her lab empty.

"Um, Tali? Where'd you go?"

She heard a slurping sound and looked up toward it, startled, to see Tali sitting on her windowsill, still enjoying her Caf-Pow!.

"Tali, you'd better get down before you fall…" she beckoned.

Tali climbed down, but as she did so, she bumped her shoulder on a table. She gasped in pain, clutching at it.

"Here, let me have a look." Abby pulled Ziva's sweatshirt off of Tali, noticing as she did so the ragged shirt the girl wore. She gasped. There was a fresh scrape on her shoulder from her clash with the table, but that wasn't what caught her attention.

* * *

Palmer walked down to Autopsy, noticing that the team must be out on a case. _I'm late. Gibbs might Gibbsslap me when he gets back. _Though the rest of the team referred to them as headslaps, Palmer had always felt it necessary to give credit to their inventor.

All thoughts of cranial impact were driven from his mind when Abby almost literally ran into him, looking worried.

"Jimmy, I need to talk to you! And Ducky when he gets back. Actually, I think the whole team needs to have another conference -you missed the first one- oh, by the way, this is Tali -she's Ziva's niece, long story- and anyway, I think you and Ducky should have a look at her; it looks like she got hit."

"What?"

Abby glared at him. Suddenly, she Gibbsslapped him.

"Won't happen again."

* * *

The team walked into the office, stopping when they noticed Abby talking to Palmer.

"What's going on?" Gibbs stared at the two of them, suspicious as ever. Abby, meanwhile, equally suspicious, looked at Ziva.

"Why are you staring at me, Abby?"

"Well, I just thought that you might have, you know, noticed that her entire back is bruised and stuff? Cause you had her for at least a couple of hours..."

"Look, Abby, she seemed cold, so I offered her one of my sweatshirts, and she put it on by herself. The rest of the time, she was sleeping. She never let me touch her. It was like pulling hair to get her to hold my hand so she wouldn't run off while I was bringing her here."

"Teeth, Ziva." Tony sighed.

"What?"

"Like pulling teeth."

"But I know I've heard the phrase 'made me want to pull my hair out', and pulling teeth is easy. All you have to do is punch someone really hard in the mouth…"

"Ziva, you probably shouldn't talk like that around Tali; you'll scare her. And she'll probably never understand idioms."

"Understood."

Abby burst in. "Anyway, I think Ducky should have a look at her." Ducky nodded.

"I'll do that, Abigail."

* * *

Author's note: I'm still taking predictions on what will happen in the future (hint, hint). For instance, should Eli David be a complete jerk, or should he start being nice to Ziva? I'm not sure which, but he will be in this fic.


	10. Suspect

Disclaimer: If I owned NCIS, I would make it so that nobody ever had to bother with disclaiming it.

* * *

"Special Agent Gibbs."

They all turned toward the voice. Director Vance was at the top of the stairs, pointing towards MTAC.

"Director David wants to see you and Agent David in MTAC."

Ziva glanced sideways at Gibbs. He sighed. She lifted her head, determined.

"We're on our way, Director."

Gibbs glanced at the team.

"Back to work. And, Palmer?"

Smack!

Palmer silently congratulated himself on his correct prediction.

"Don't be late again. We need you here."

* * *

Back in her lab, Abby was running a print from the rock through AFIS. Tali was watching the pictures move across the screen, transfixed, as she slurped her third Caf-Pow!. She suddenly pointed at the screen, an instant before a match popped up on it.

"Now how on earth did you do that?" Abby wondered aloud. She picked up the computer printout of the ID and called McGee's phone. "Timmy, we've got a suspect!"

* * *

Ziva and Gibbs walked into MTAC nervously, wondering what awaited them. On the one hand, Eli David was Ziva's father. On the other, he was Eli David. Which meant that with what they were dealing any idea they did not have.*

Gibbs whispered in her ear. "He already knows about Tali, so it's probably okay to tell him what's been going on."

Ziva nodded. "But what if he wants her for Mossad? I won't let that happen to her."

"Don't worry, Ziva. We won't let him."

Further conversation was curtailed as they walked into MTAC. Gibbs noticed how tense Ziva was as the technicians connected them to Tel Aviv.

* * *

Author's note: Cliffhanger I know. I dislike the term "writer's block", so I'll just say that my muse went on spring break with my computer's ability to connect to the internet.


	11. Hacked, Again

If I owned NCIS, this would be one of their episodes. It is not (at the moment, at least). Therefore, by the Law of Detachment and the Law of the Contrapositive, I do not own NCIS.

* * *

Author's note: About the random * in the last chapter- I forgot to add a footnote that I just couldn't resist. :)

* * *

Abby picked up Tali's drawing of the building, walking over to another computer.

"Okay, Tali; let's get back to you."

She started off with the basics, typing the name (and a few variations thereof) into Google. What she got surprised her.

* * *

Back in MTAC, Ziva, having finished explaining to her father about Tali, stared at the screen.

"I need to talk to you, Ziva."

"I'm right here."

"In person. Just the two of us. Two days from now."

Ziva sighed.

"Okay."

* * *

Tony stared down the suspect in interrogation. The army buddy of the victim, his fingerprints had been all over the murder weapon.

"Why did you kill him?"

The man started to cry.

"I didn't mean to- he was my best friend. It was late, we were both short on sleep, and we started arguing over something stupid- I never meant to kill him; I just lost control..."

* * *

Abby stared at the screen. Tali had drawn a picture of the orphanage she'd been in, there was no doubt about that. But this was appalling. The place had uncountable citations for child abuse and neglect, but somehow they always got off easy.

_Bribes, most likely. I can't believe this. They even have a database on all of the kids, but they can't be bothered to look after them properly? _

She started scrolling through the pictures. Tali got up, staring at the screen warily. Suddenly she touched the screen gently, her finger on the picture of a very young girl.

Abby read the info on the girl. She'd been abandoned on the doorstep of the orphanage, which appeared to be an all-too-common trait. Tali was listed as having been born there, with her mother living just long enough to name her.

The next thing Abby knew, she was being hacked again.

* * *

4500 miles away, a man, Ghiralg by name, was working furiously at a computer. If the Americans got wind of this, it would be the end of the orphanage. He made too much money off of people desperate for children to let that happen.

* * *

Author's note: The rate at which I update is directly proportional to the number of reviews I get. Considering about 70 people get e-mailed every time I do so, it shouldn't be too much to ask for 5 reviews, and three others (others being favorites, alerts, and the like).


	12. Plans

Author's note: Anyone like twists? If so, good; if not, well, too bad. Same goes for a little supernatural. But that's the only spoiler you're getting for the ending. Except if I get asked by a lot of people. *stops rambling and starts writing*

* * *

Tali stared at the strange light-up box. She'd seen a picture of her little sister, but where was- She picked up the little clicky thing, and pressed a few buttons.

"Tali!" Abby took the mouse out of her hand, guiding her away from the computer. _She could have broken something! _

She handed Tali her doll, attempting to soothe her. But the girl still looked sad.

* * *

Ziva walked out of MTAC, looking out the window.

"It's been a long day."

"That it has." Gibbs smiled at her. "So, what's next?"

"I'm taking Tali clothes shopping. She can't go around looking like she's drowning in my old sweatshirt all the time, now can she?"

"I see your point. Maybe you should take Abby along."

Ziva laughed. "That could be an adventure."

* * *

"Okay, so I started getting hacked _again_, which is really annoying, - couldn't get a location on the hacker- just managed to figure out that it's whoever put up the website in the first place, and Ducky and Jimmy came in and bandaged Tali up, cause you know, she was hurt-" a breath, a sip of Caf-Pow!, "and anyway, how did the teleconference go? Or should I not ask that?"

Ziva sighed. "_Director David_ is coming in a few days; he says he wants to talk. I don't know what I think; I just don't want him to take Tali away… Could you, ah, 'pull some strings?' to get me legal custody of her? Did I get that one right?"

Abby hugged her. "Yep! And I'll get one of my friends to work on it right away."

"Thanks, Abby. And would you like to come shopping with me? I need to get Tali some clothes and stuff…"

"That sounds like fun."

* * *

Author's note: Next chapter: shopping trip. (I just went on one of these with my brother, his girlfriend, and her sister, which was really fun, so it might be fluffy. You have been warned.)


	13. Shopping, lost

Maybe someone will give me NCIS for my birthday. (This month!) But I doubt it. I'll just have to settle for a car. Also, I don't own Build-A-Bear. Though I do own one of the bears from there.

* * *

Author's note: So far, nobody has told me that they caught the impending twist. *sigh* I guess I'll keep dropping hints.

* * *

"Did you know that only seven percent of communication is the words we use? Fifty-five percent is body language and gestures, and the remaining thirty-eight percent is tone of voice."

Ziva sighed, walking into a store. "Your point, Abby?"

"That's why we can communicate with Tali so easily."

"It's not what you say; it's how you say it." Ziva smiled.

"That is what they say."

"We are talking about talking about talking." Ziva laughed. Tali ran over to a clothes rack, looking at shirts. Abby held one up to her.

"Definitely not, Abby. I don't think she likes skulls."

"You might have a point."

Tali held up a t-shirt that was just plain black. Abby pulled out a purple sweatshirt with silver beads. Ziva picked up a long-sleeved pink shirt. They all looked at each other, and smiled. Sometimes splurging was really fun.

* * *

They walked out of their fifth store several hours later, heavily laden with shopping bags.

"Clothes, bedding, furniture…" Ziva checked off a mental list.

"Where's she going to sleep?"

"I have a 'guest bedroom' that can be converted."

"There's just one thing left." Abby headed toward Build-A-Bear. Ziva laughed, following her inside.

"Why don't we each get one? I never had a teddy bear…"

"You never had a teddy bear?! Ziva, you are deprived."

"I kind of figured that out."

"Well, then, we'll just have to fix that."

* * *

They walked out about an hour later, each carrying a box. Ziva and Abby thought it was adorable how Tali had gotten not just a teddy bear, but also a smaller version of it, and a smaller version of that one.

"A bear for a bear for a bear."

Ziva laughed. "American society."

"Small, medium, large."

"One is never enough."

Tali, however, had different thoughts running through her mind…

* * *

She was running, trying to get away- there!

Hidden under a table, a typical refuge.

They put their arms around each other, consoling.

Where had the other one gone?

* * *

Author's note: Unstuck at last. The statistics about communication are actually true. By the way, I started a new story. It's called Masquerade. *wants you to read it*


	14. Gbtwn?

I own a few things, but NCIS is not one of them.

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Author's note: I am _so sorry_! I have a few stupid excuses: my muse went UA, she lost her voice, she could only sing a different song (Masquerade, another fic of mine), McDucttape (my computer) got sick, I've been busy, but really, I shouldn't have kept you waiting like that. Also, this chapter is dedicated to Moonfaerie326. On with the show!

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Tony, Ziva, McGee, and Abby carried the last trip of shopping bags into the guest-soon-to-be-Tali's bedroom. Ziva started directing traffic.

"Tony, start setting up the bed. Try not to break too much. McGee, work on the dresser. Abby, help me unpack. Tali, where do you want to sleep?"

Abby smiled. "Looks like she's already decided."

Tali was asleep in the corner. The last corner that someone would see after walking in the door. Presumably the safest one.

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The next day, Abby was hard at work trying to track down the hacker from the previous afternoon. The hacker using the same computer that had posted the website. Now to find a location.

The rest of the team was busy working on helping Ziva get guardianship of Tali.

"Paperwork, paperwork, and yet more paperwork. It's annoying."

"We've got two days before I'm supposed to meet my father. Can we get it done by then?"

"If we push hard and pull a few strings, then it should work," Gibbs reassured her.

"Barring any snaffles."

"Um, Ziva, it's snafu…" McGee hesitantly corrected her.

"What on earth does that mean?"

Tony plunked down a stack of papers on her desk. "Stands for Situation Normal All Fouled Up. These are yours."

"I do not understand. If a situation is fouled up, then it is not normal, is it?" Ziva started working on her papers.

McGee laughed. "So we should call it a safu, then?"

"Why don't we just call it a gbtwn." Everyone stared at Gibbs. "Get back to work, now."

They did so, but whispers broke out as soon as Gibbs left to get coffee.

"How on earth did he pronounce that?" Ziva was confused.

"Come on, Ziva," Tony replied. "Do you think even a word would be stupid enough to make Gibbs have trouble pronouncing it?"

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Author's note: I couldn't resist having a weird-and-goofy-things-that-happen-in-writing moment. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and will do my very best to update soon!


	15. Fairly Big Interruption

I do not own NCIS. It may actually own me. It's like Gibbs' coffee actually owning him. Or Abby's Caf-Pow! Or Vance's toothpicks. It's a lot like the story about the man who had this bag of gold, and refused to leave it on a sinking boat, and then it drowned him. The gold owned him. But I don't think NCIS would drown me. Actually, I wouldn't have it on the boat in the first place, because I don't own it. I will stop babbling now and get on to the story.

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Abby looked like she was ready to tear her hair out.

"My computer is not a mountain! It is not a block of ice, a gold mine, a coal mine, a tin mine, a diamond mine..."

"What do you mean, Abby?" Gibbs was rather confused.

"People keep hacking it! First it was Mossad, then whoever put up that website, and now look!"

"Who?"

"The FBI!"

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FBI agents Fornell and Sacks walked into the office, their usual _get-out-of-our-investigation_ looks on their faces.

"Where's Gibbs?"

"Talking to Abby about the fact that you just hacked her." Tony went into defensive mode.

"She was looking at a website for a trafficking ring we've been investigating for some time. It's been a lot of work, most of it undercover. If you guys have screwed this up-"

"What exactly is it that you're investigating?"

"People who are practically- no, _actually_- selling children to couples who can't have any. The children are usually badly mistreated, and we need to shut this thing down."

"I agree. But I'm not sure who gets jurisdiction on this one..." Ziva looked up from her paperwork.

"We've actually got one of the children in our custody." Fornell smirked.

"Well, what do you know, so do we." Ziva met his gaze, a challenge in her pose.

Things were getting interesting.

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Author's note: I don't even have an excuse this time. Sorry it's kind of short, but it's better than nothing, right? By the way, I have a question for you guys. Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of gold?


	16. Rafi

The usual disclaimer.

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Author's note: Okay, I'm using the opposite of the usual excuse. I haven't been too busy. I've been not busy enough, and as such have been watching as much NCIS as possible. But here's a chapter anyway.

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Gibbs and Fornell, having been ordered to share control of their case, were trying to decide who was in charge. There can only be one leader.

"We've been working this case for months!"

"And, once again, we've made more progress than you have."

"Actually, I would say that we've made about the same amount. We each have one of the children, and have managed to locate the computer that they use."

"How'd you find it?"

"We had to run traces from the e-mails they used to communicate with the prospective parents."

"Abby just ran a Google search."

Fornell just glared at Gibbs. Then he sighed. "I wonder if the kids know each other."

"Only one way to find out."

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Sacks and Tony were also facing off, but more casually.

"So, who's the kid you guys have?"

"Tali is Ziva's niece. Someone left her on Ziva's doorstep."

"Well, we rescued Rafi in an undercover op a while back. He's a little older than her, but hasn't managed to learn much English. Actually, about all he says is baby talk, a few names, onomatopoeia, and such."

"Sounds a lot like Tali."

"Ah, but that's only part of it. We ran his DNA, and it turns out he is the son of Michael Rivkin. It's a strange coincidence."

"I don't think any of us believe in those anymore."

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Tali sat, lonely, in Abby's lab, playing with her bears. She looked up as Fornell walked in with a young boy. She gasped, a happy smile on her face.

"Rafi!"

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Author's note: Actually, the feathers weigh more. Gold is measured on a different scale from most materials. :)


	17. Paperwork and Pillow Fight

NCIS is not mine. I do, however, own Tali, Rafi, and the other OCs. Okay, so Tali belongs more to the entire NCIS fandom than to me. Whatever. :)

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Ziva watched Rafi and Tali play together, smiling wistfully. _They're so much like Ari and me… _Suddenly she almost started crying.

_What's wrong with me? _

_Nothing's wrong with you. You're just falling in love. _

_No, I'm not. I've already fallen in love. _

She sat down next to the two o them, picked up one of the teddy bears and started playing with them.

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Gibbs and Fornell walked into the elevator. It moved up for a few seconds, then both Gibbs and Fornell flicked the switch.

"I think this may be getting old. Pretty soon, it's just stop on its own when we need it to…" Fornell trailed off.

"I'll make you a deal, Tobias. You give us custody of the kid you got-"

"Rafi."

"_Rafi_, and you go make the bust. Then you bring the kids back here, and if any of them are friends with Rafi and Tali, then we get them, too."

"I'm confused."

"Ziva is getting legal custody of Tali, and I'll bet she'll want to keep Rafi, too. I don't think she wants to split them up. Tali kept staring at a photo of this younger girl, and so I think they had another friend."

"And Ziva won't want to split them up from her, either."

Gibbs nodded. "She's been acting different lately- she definitely cares about them. I'm not going to let someone mess that up. She's been through enough already."

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Another shopping spree, another set of trips from the car to Ziva's apartment, and a lot of furniture rearranging later, Rafi, Tali, Ziva, Abby, McGee, and Tony were involved in the mother of all pillow fights. Abby and Tony whacked McGee across the head, and Ziva picked up Tali so she could smack Tony back. Then Rafi crashed into all of them, and they all fell to the ground, laughing. Tali tackled Rafi, pummeling him with her pillow. Meanwhile, Ziva and Abby started dueling with their pillows. McGee started recording the whole thing with his cell phone. Tony, of course, had other priorities, namely making his customary annoying movie reference.

"**This is like that part in the second Pirates movie where Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Jack Davenport are all fighting each other. Only this is a little more so." ** **Everyone else exchanged a glance. Tony looked around innocently. "What?" ** **They all attacked him. ** **V^V^V^V^V^V^V ** "**Congratulations, Ziva!" ** **It was the next day. The team had just completed the paperwork, and Ziva was Tali's legal guardian. The joy was short-lived, though, as they needed to do the exact same thing all over again for Rafi. A collective sigh went up as they started again. ** "**I really hate paperwork," McGee complained. ** "**It could be worse," Ziva tried to pacify him. ** "**Oh, really?" ** "**Well, maybe it couldn't be more boring, but at least nobody got killed or anything. I mean, that's better for everyone…" ** **McGee sighed and typed rapidly on his computer. "How many kids are you planning on adopting, Ziva? If there are too many more, we'll just have to quit our jobs and work on paperwork for you…" ** **V^V^V^V^V^V^V **


	18. MOAC

Author's note: I saw the "scenes from our next episode" this week, and really wanted to get this posted before then.

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Another day of paperwork was done, and Ziva went back to her apartment with the kids. Popcorn and a movie sufficed to pacify Rafi and Tali. Ziva sat quietly in the kitchen for a few minutes, sipping a Berry Mango Madness.

_Tomorrow I have to meet him at this café, and I have no idea what he wants. _She glanced through into the living room, at her kids, who were happily munching away. _I'm not letting him take them. They don't deserve that. You know, I didn't deserve that either. But I think I should give him a chance anyway. I mean, doesn't everyone deserve a second chance? _

Finishing her drink, she plunked herself down on the couch and joined Rafi and Tali in watching the movie. Snow White. Perhaps that had not been the best of choices. When Snow White got lost in the dark woods, Tali screamed and grabbed her brother, hiding her eyes in his shoulder. Rafi put his arms around her and whispered something in her ear. Tali soon resurfaced, happy again. At the end of the movie, she crawled over to Ziva and hugged her. "Shiva prince!" Ziva frowned for a moment, then comprehension struck. She laughed. "Thanks." She hugged Tali gently back. On the other side of Tali, Rafi put his arms around her, smiling happily. Ziva reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. _We really are three peas in a pot. _

She wasn't the only one thinking that, though…

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In a building across the street, Eli David was watching the trio through a pair of binoculars, his face expressionless. _Patience, Eli. Just until tomorrow… _

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The next morning, Ziva packed up her kids and drove them to the café. It might have been better if she had taken a taxi, as Rafi and Tali spent most of the trip clutching each other for dear life. _And here I thought my driving was getting better… _

She got them each an ice cream and settled them down at a table near the window, where they could watch the people go by. _That should keep them occupied. _She went to the counter to get herself a shake. Vanilla with Reese's chunks floating in it. She reached into her purse to pay for it-

"I'll get it."

She whirled around and found herself face-to-face with her father. She was startled for a moment, then relaxed, realizing that she was actually glad to see him.

"Shalom, Papa."

He smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek. "Shalom, Ziva."

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On the roof of the building across the street, he crouched, rifle in his hands, scope trained on the woman. He took a last glance at the photo his current employer had given to him, verifying her identity. _The things we do for money. _He prepared to take the shot. _Goodbye, pretty woman… _

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Author's note: I hA**v**e thE neXt chAPTer. rEvi_e_W **o**R elSe. :)


	19. Just the Innocent Hit Man

Still not mine…

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Author's notes: The last chapter was called MOAC (Mother of All Cliffhangers) based on Abby's spiel about MOAS (Mother of All Secrets). This chapter starts a few minutes before the part with the sniper. Eli and Ziva would probably speak in Hebrew, but maybe I'm translating. You can pick. By the way, I apologize sincerely if the goofy ransom note offended anyone. It was meant to be a joke.

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Eli and Ziva sat at a booth, facing opposite. Rafi and Tali were sitting at a nearby table, stealing ice cream from each other. Eli waited until Ziva had finished her shake before he started to talk. He nodded towards the children.

"They remind you of yourself and Ari, don't they?"

Ziva hesitated. Then she nodded. "Yes; they do."

"Me, too." He paused for a moment. "Ziva, I really never meant for it to end up like it did-"

"End up with me killing my brother? You _ordered_ me to!"

He sighed. "Ziva, I tried. I tried to do the right thing. I- I felt it what he was doing was my fault-"

"Yeah, well, you were probably right." Glancing at the kids, she dropped her voice to a whisper. "I didn't kill him because you said to. I just…" she stared out the window forlornly. "It was the right thing to do. But there are times I would do anything to change that."

Eli opened his mouth, then closed it, realized there was nothing to say. He got up and walked around to her side of the booth, sitting down next to her. She stared down at her folded hands, lost in thought. Then:

"How'd you know he had a kid?"

Eli pulled a photo out of his pocket and handed it to her. It showed Ari with Tali's mother. They were both smiling happily, and they each had a hand resting on her stomach, which had a slight bulge.

"Keep it." Ziva looked up at her father. "I think Tali would like to have it. Speaking of photos-" he took out another photo. The one of Ziva with her siblings that she'd lost in Somalia. Somehow she didn't even remember what had happened to it.

"Thank you, Papa."

He smiled at her sadly. "Ziva-"

Whatever he was planning to say was quickly forgotten, as something outside the window got his attention. "Ziva!"

Just as the shot shattered the window, he shoved her off the bench and under the table. Another shot rang out, and Ziva caught a glimpse of a flash from a window in the building across the street. Out of habit, she reached for her gun, then gasped. "Papa!"

Eli was gasping for air, blood staining his chest. "Ziva, I'm sorry…"

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Outside the café, Tony and Gibbs raced toward the other building, guns drawn. When they got to the sniper nest, they were slightly surprised to see the shooter still there.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm just the innocent hit man!"

Gibbs and Tony exchanged an incredulous glance. Tony was speechless, Gibbs slightly less so.

"Just when I think I've heard everything…"

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Author's note: I beat the episode!


	20. I'm sorry

…

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People were screaming throughout the café. Some were running out the door, others taking cover under tables and chairs. Ziva ran to her father and dragged him under their table. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew it wouldn't make any difference, but she tried to stop the bleeding anyway. She glanced over to where Tali and Rafi cowered under a bench, clearly terrified as they clutched each other.

"Ziva…" Eli grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry- I'm so sorry, Ziva…"

"Papa!" she hugged him gently. "It's okay. It's alright."

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Tony shoved the sniper into the van. Gibbs ran toward the café, trying to ascertain whether anyone was hurt.

"Ziva, are you okay-"

Ziva looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. Gibbs crouched next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as with the other he checked Eli for a pulse. None.

"Ziva…"

She hugged him, burying her head in his shoulder. He put his arms around her as she cried, stroking her hair gently.

"I'm sorry, Ziva."

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Tony was sitting in interrogation across from the sniper, who was looking incredibly nervous.

"So, Ex-Petty Officer John Smith…" Tony laughed to himself. "I'll have to warn you- my partner will probably be the one who tries to sacrifice you in a weird ritual-"

"I said I'll tell you who hired me!"

"Yes, you did." Tony smiled. "You're going to tell me now."

"Well I can't quite tell you who, just a bunch of e-mails. You can look at my computer-"

"Oh, believe me, we will. By the way, if you're thinking of offering some sort of excuse for why you needed the money…"

"I'm trying to put my little sister through college, and it's a little hard."

"Who, Pocahontas? Actually, that tribe had a tradition of adoption in that situation, contrary to the popular story of romance- anyway, that's totally irrelevant, because my partner is still going to kill you."

"Seriously?" Smith went completely white.

Tony smiled again. "I just love doing this."

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Author's note: How has everybody been? And how is this story doing? I do enjoy reviews, and constructive criticism, but please don't tell me it's too short, because I know. I do try. I have the same problem with writing for school. Sigh.


	21. Location, Location, Location

"Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and punishable…"

Translation: Blahblahblahblah… you need to use disclaimers on fanfictions… Hey, Fornell!

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Author's note: You know you watch too much NCIS when you use Cover Story to get over writer's block.

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In her lab, Abby was typing away on her computer. McGee walked in, carrying a usual Caf-Pow!.

"How's it going? Any luck on the e-mails?"

She sighed. "They've got incredible computers. I need about 957,239,486 computers and about twice as many hands if I want to crack this…"

McGee put his arms around her and started tapping away with her.

"Let's see if I can help."

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"Okay, so the e-mails were sent from the same computer that hacked me earlier, that's running that website, and I think I might be able to trace it and get a location!"

"You think? Can you or can't you?"

Gibbs was not entirely in a good mood. That _stupid_ Petty Officer What's-his-Smith had tried to kill one of his agents, Abby was in one of her usual moods, Fornell had tried to interfere again, and, worst of all, his coffee cup was empty. It was not a good day.

"Well, I would have to trace it from ISP to server, and then…" Abby trailed off, realizing that Gibbs wasn't in the mood. "On it, Gibbs!"

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Ziva put her arms around Tali, stroking the little girl's hair. "I've got something to show you, little one."

She guided the little girl to her couch, sitting down next to her. Pulling one of the photos out of her pocket, she showed it to Tali. "That's your mommy and daddy."

Tali put her hands on the photo of her mother with Ari, running her fingers over their faces. "Where- they-?"

Ziva hesitated for a moment. _What the bloody heck am I supposed to tell a three-year-old? _She settled for the simplest explanation. "They're in heaven, Tali."

Tali nodded sadly. "You know them?"

"I knew your father, Ari. He was my brother."

Tali frowned, looking somewhat confused. "You- him- like me- Rafi?"

Ziva nodded. "Yes. Just like you two."

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Back in her lab, Abby was excited.

"I got the location! I got the location!"

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Author's note: I know it's been forever since I've updated. I'm sorry for that.

On another note:

Happy New Year! How has everyone been? I got an NCIS t-shirt and a Caf-Pow! water bottle for Christmas, and my family managed to ring in the New Year by nearly setting fire to our house. So that about sums it up.


	22. Reunion

(Dictates lack of ownership.)

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It was a typical office scene. Tony, Ziva, McGee, and Gibbs sat at their desks, doing absolutely nothing. Ziva sighed. Tony echoed her, then elaborated.

"I'm not going to say I want someone to get killed. I just want a case to work on. Maybe if someone got attacked, but they weren't badly hurt…"

"You want me to hurt someone for you? Because I would be happy to-"

"No, Ziva, it's fine. Seriously." McGee almost looked scared.

Silence reigned for a few minutes. Then:

"Random, semi-nonsensical computer comment."

"Musing on the attractiveness of a nearby female agent."

"Threat of bodily harm."

"Threat of firing you all if you don't shut your mouths and… I suppose you don't have anything better to do for once."

"Except sit here and wait for the FBI to report what happens with those kids…" Ziva trailed off. "You know, Gibbs, if I didn't know better, I would say that you just got them to do our dirty work so we wouldn't have to go careering around Europe-"

"Careening. And do you really know better?"

Ziva smiled. "Maybe I don't."

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4,000 miles away, the FBI were crashing through a building, kicking open doors. A man ran out of one of them, a gun in his hands that he was using _way_ too well. Fortunately, enough FBIers were there and they managed to shoot the gun out of his hand before anyone else got seriously hurt.

Fornell opened one final door, revealing a group of about twenty or so terrified children. Walking into the room, he realized that several of the children were clearly suspicious of him. _They don't trust adults. The only ones they've ever had contact with have been so horrible to them… _

He sighed. _They're going to need _major _help learning to trust again. _

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Back in the office, the mood changed abruptly when Gibbs got a call on his cell.

"Hey, the FBI busted them and got the kids out okay."

A general cheer of approval rose from the team, as well as a few surrounding agents. Apparently, the case had garnered considerable attention among the entire agency.

_Well, of course it did. What _human _wouldn't care about innocent children? _Ziva smiled to herself. _They're okay, and we caught the *^$+&# who had my father killed. Things are going a little better currently than previously. _

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"Zhiva! Found her!"

Ziva tore her gaze away from a few of the children and towards Rafi and Tali hugging a tiny girl. _And the little sister. _She was not at all surprised.

On the other side of the room, another young girl seemed to be finding herself a family. Ziva stared at them for a moment, trying to figure out where she'd seen them before, and then finally realizing that they were the couple who had hired a surrogate to get them a child. _And they want to get him a sister. Good. It's lonely with no siblings. _

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Her sister asleep across her and Rafi's laps, Tali pulled out the photo of her parents. Suddenly, another picture jumped into her mind, this one of the man who had taken her from the orphanage to Ziva. _But how on earth…_


	23. Farewell

Author's note: I can't believe this is the last chapter. So much has happened since I started writing this, and so many people have reviewed and been following this, it's really amazing. Thank you, everyone.

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_A few weeks later…_

Their latest case was finally closed. An hour late, Ziva finally got into her car and started driving.

Turning into the daycare she'd chosen for her kids, she couldn't help but marvel at how much had happened lately. In one month, she had become mother to three children, her father had died, and she'd had to seriously retrain her mind. _From assassin to honorary mother. That's crazy. _

Careening up the drive, she abruptly parked her car across three different parking places. Shutting off the engine, she walked in.

"Ziva!"

Rafi and Tali hugged her legs, and their little sister- _Katie, we decided, remember?-_ held up her arms pleadingly. Ziva, as usual, couldn't resist. She scooped up the tiny girl and cuddled her for a bit.

"Hey, Katie." Ziva smiled down at the other two. "I missed you guys, too, but I kind of need to move my legs to get you home." She set Katie down, handing her to Rafi, and picked up Tali. "Hey, Tali; time for a kitty-back ride. Wait a minute-" She paused for a moment. "That can't be right… Ah, whatever. Maybe I'll call it a Ziva-back ride…"

She packed her kids up and took them home.

_In the distance, silhouetted against the setting sun, two figures stood, arms around each other. They could finally be at peace. Their sister was happy. _

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Author's note: *sniffs a couple of times before breaking down crying* I might write a oneshot or two as a sequel to this, but otherwise it's finished. I do have a few ideas for more stories, though, so stay tuned…

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Teaser:

Nobody really noticed the black car driving down the street. They didn't really notice when it was parked alongside the curb.

They certainly didn't notice the man who got out and put something in the back seat. He was used to flying below everyone's radar. Anyone who saw him soon forgot him. They were typically preoccupied with what he left behind. Usually, there were a few dead bodies.

This time, as he walked away, he left behind a car. An unconscious woman in the back seat. A black leather jacket wrapped around her. Four letters written in blood.

_NCIS _


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